Stephen Ornes

Freelance Writer

Stephen Ornes has been writing for Science News Explores since 2008, and his 2014 story "Where Will Lightning Strike?" won an AAAS/Kavli Gold Award. He lives in Nashville, Tenn., and he has three children, who are inventing their own language. His family has a cat, six chickens, and two rabbits, but he secretly thinks hagfish are the most fascinating animals. Stephen has written two books. One is a biography of mathematician Sophie Germain, who was born during the French Revolution. The other, which was published in 2019, features art inspired by math. Visit him online at stephenornes.com.

All Stories by Stephen Ornes

  1. Animals

    Amputated ‘finger’ tips grow back

    Both toenails and toe tips grew back in mice, thanks to special ‘stem’ cells living beneath the nails.

  2. Tech

    A new way to eavesdrop

    Scientists film throat movements to decode the spoken word.

  3. Brain

    Headers and memory loss

    Soccer players who frequently use their heads score worse on memory tests.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Infection time

    Disease is more severe when it hits in the morning, at least in mice.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Flu in the air

    Germs tiny enough to pass through surgical masks may cause half of all cases.

  6. Plants

    Old, cold moss grows again

    Mosses are mini but mighty: Even after centuries buried beneath a glacier, some of these small, flowerless plants can regrow.

  7. Health & Medicine

    An itch switch

    Scientists identify a chemical that helps the brain know where to scratch.

  8. Physics

    Black hole mysteries

    Scientists are just getting to know the black holes that help anchor our cosmos.

  9. Brain

    A mind for math

    A part of the brain associated with making memories may also predict success in learning math.

  10. Physics

    Light dancing on glass

    New type of material lets light travel across its surface without interruption.

  11. Animals

    Honey’s hidden helper

    Scientists identify a substance in honey that helps bee bodies fight poisons.

  12. Archaeology

    American cannibals

    Skeletal remains of a Jamestown teen show signs of cannibalism in colonial America, new data show. The girl’s skull provides the first concrete support for historical accounts that some starving colonists had resorted to eating the flesh of others.